THE WAR WITH GRANDPA
US, 2020, 98 minutes, Colour.
Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Oakes Fegley, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken.
Directed by Tim Hill.
The title is exact. If you want to see strategies and tactics for the war within the home, grandpa being invited by his daughter to live with them after the death of his wife, 12-year-old Peter’s room being allotted to him and Peter relegated to the attic, leading to a declaration of war, then this is your kind of film. The comedy is rather raucous. And it consists of a mounting series of Gotcha events and moments, increasingly practical mayhem inside the house and out, not without quite some physical consequences, dangers to life and limb, and a climax which absolutely destroys the elaborate birthday party of Peter’s younger sister.
Filming was done in 2017 but there were production difficulties and the collapse of the Weinstein Empire so that it was not released until 2020. It proved to be something of a financial saviour for cinemas as it was released during the covert-19 period, even toppling Tenet from the top of the box office for several weeks, audiences prepared to come out, hoping for an entertaining time (rather than the sometimes overwhelming demands of Tenet).
Some audiences will get a laugh out of the tactics used by both Peter and grandpa, Peter egged on by his friends at school, grandpa relying on some old friends and a sympathetic older cashier at the supermarket. Other audiences might not find it so funny, probably irritated by those cheeky and self-assertive American youngsters that populate this kind of film. And, with the increasing skirmishes leading into battles, the whole thing is full of mean-mindedness. There is something of a homily given by Peter to grandpa at the end, so that they realise the futility and the consequences of war, but we are invited to indulge in the warfare before the homily!
Actually, the cast is very strong. Here is Robert De Niro, definitely not in the vein of Martin Scorsese film is, rather in the atmosphere of Meet the Focus series. Commentators have observed over the years that De Niro does not seem to have much of a sense of humour in himself, but, at nearly 75 with nothing to lose, he plays along with the scenario – and, in an extended insertion into the final credits (which all the audience who hurry out of the cinema as soon as a credit word appears on the screen will miss), there are outtakes, and the whole cast fooling around, singing and dancing, including De Niro.
Uma Thurman plays the mother, caring for her father, strict on her teenage daughter who is always finding an opportunity to sneak away with her boyfriend, mother angry but grandpa reminding her of what she did when she was a girl and how his anxiety made him waste two years of life and his affection for her. After some martial arts attack on the boyfriend (reminding us of her role in Kill Bill), she reconciles with her daughter. The other daughter, is a precocious little girl, affectionate to grandpa unable to help him with all his IT issues even to enabling him to fly a drone. Rob Riggle, usually an upfront comedian, plays a more gently subservient role as the father.
Oakes Fegley is Peter – who initiated the war, who does love grandpa, but indulges the mean mindedness.
And, grandpa’s friends include Jane Seymour as the supermarket checkout, Christopher Walken, enjoying himself, and a rather leery Cheech Marin.
Direction is by Tim Hill who has written an extensive number of SpongeBob? Square Pants television series.
If you tend to be introverted, it is perhaps wise to get this rather extrovert and raucous must amiss.
